WOAH, SURPRISE!
I'm sorry for leaving you hanging there for so long. You didn't deserve it at all, but I haven't had that much time lately to continue on the story. But here I am, FINALLY. Please enjoy, and thank you for putting up with my slow updates! =)
- Theoris (GadGet)
The silence was too loud, though Maiid could not say a word - she just stood still and stared at her friend, doubting her ears. Malik waited for an answer, but when he received none the Bureau leader started to walk around the desk and stopped in front of the woman.
"I am aware of it to be a bit…sudden. But I have not felt what I feel in years. You must understand me, Shadiyah…" Malik took her hand and held it gently. The warmth of his touch brought the woman back from her shock and she stared at him, still surprised.
"Ever since you came by here I have been drowning in your presence – and when you leave I drown in your trace! What I feel for you is so real, but I must know now – what are your feelings for me? What is your answer?"
Maiid grimaced, deep in thought. Malik frowned and used all the patience that he had gained over the years.
I can't believe this, the girl thought. Altaïr told me a mere day ago that he shared such feelings with me, and now our friend here are telling me that he shares the affection of me along with Altaïr? I can't believe… But yet a part of her could understand. All the politeness, the eagerness of being helpful, the smiles, and the attentiveness of her needs… It would all make sense. As Maiid realised this fact, she felt a stab of guilt in her chest. She smiled half a smile and felt how she regained the control over her tongue.
"I am flattered, Malik," she said and carefully squeezed his hand back.
"But I cannot accept such a position, for I am in love with another." Malik's expression went from disappointment, to confusion, to be enlightened and finally surprised. Maiid cocked her head to the side in amusement.
"You mean…?" The Bureau leader began, but was unable to continue.
"Yes, I do," Maiid filled in and smiled towards her friend. He on the other hand looked sick.
"Of course," he moaned and frowned deeply. "How come I could not see that before? It is so clear…If I had known, I would never have dared…" he let go of her hand and started to walk around in the Bureau, but a tug on his robes stopped him.
"I am but fine. No harm done," she assured him. Malik sighed deeply and stared down on his feet with sad eyes.
"Then I guess I shall take that back then." He nodded towards the small box, which contained the necklace in stone. Maiid followed his gaze and grasped the box tightly.
"I would not like you to," she said honestly as she pulled the piece of chess out from its painted prison.
"I find it beautiful – just like your intentions," she continued and smiled widely. While she put it on, Malik's sorrow filled face turned a little happier.
"How is it fitting then?" the woman asked as she sprang around in the hunt for a mirror. The Bureau leader chuckled slightly.
"Well." he replied and winked. Maiid jumped into his embrace and gave him a long hug.
"Thank you, Malik," she said and they both knew that it wasn't only for the necklace.
"No, it is I who should thank you, Shadiyah," Malik whispered softly in her ear.
"You brought my oldest friend back and you took away much of the pain in my heart. I will owe you for that for the rest of my life."
Maiid grimaced, but kept the mischievously look on her face.
"Then I will make you stick to your word, "she said and broke loose from the hug. She grabbed the king and held it up as high as the chain could afford.
"This gift will work as a reminder of our bond. I hope you are ready for a life-long task, as the role of my greatest friend?"
Malik stared at her for a couple of seconds, until he ruffled her hair.
"I would marry you, if it was not for my lucky brother."
Maiid shook her head, but smiled.
They eventually went back to their regular positions, or at least Malik did. As he finished pouring over one map, Maiid hurried to snatch it away to study it herself. There were still a lot of places which she had yet to travel to.
After a while Malik excused himself and left the Bureau in the woman's care for the time he had to finish some errands. Maiid, who gladly welcomed a task, promised to take a good care of the workplace while her friend was out. But the waiting became long and soon Maiid had fallen asleep in the comfy wooden chair. Everything around her disappeared and her deserved sleep drowned all noises from outside, such as the warning bells that could be heard when an assassination had been made…
Silence greeted the woman as she woke up. She had her eyes closed, but when she realized that she had no idea of what had awaken her, Maiid slowly opened them to examine the situation. She gasped at the sight.
Altaïr stood in the entrance and his robes were soaked in red liquid. His face was covered in the darkness of his once white hood and he stood completely still – a perfect statue.
Maiid stared at him with pure fear in her heart.
By Allah's blessing, is he hurt? No, wait. The robes are all in one piece. Is that…someone else's blood? What event would cause him to enter such a fight?
Then the reason struck her like a stab in the stomach. He must have barely made it back here alive. He had failed the mission.
The woman faced her friend in shock. What should she say? What could she say? She must do something to comfort him at least – they were after all bounded to each other now.
"Altaïr…" she began slowly, her voice filled with compassion. At the sound of his name the assassin leaped forward with a roar, grabbed her collar in the process and raised her in the air.
Being this close to him, Maiid could not miss his dark eyes. They were filled with uncontrolled fury – just what his actions had showed her. But there was something more. Could it be disappointment and disbelief?
What? Is he disappointed of me now? I did not do anything that would have caused him not to succeed in this mission. Is he blaming me now? How dare he…
The warmth of anger filled the woman's body and she grabbed the dirty hand in front of her face, digging her nails in it.
"Do not take out your failure on me…!" she hissed. Her answer took him by surprise and the furious assassin frowned.
"My failure…?" he commented doubtfully. Maiid could barely believe her ears.
"Yes, your failure! How in Allah's name do you even dare to question it?"
Altaïr blinked I silence.
"Put. Me. Down." She dug her nails deeper into his hand and didn't let go until she felt the floor under her feet again. However, the assassin kept her robes in his grip.
"You say that I am to blame, but what about your part in it? You and M-"
"I just cannot see how it would have been my fault? I have tried my best to do as you say and to help you out and this is how you thank me? By blaming me for something I could not help? What is with you?!"
The assassin's face darkened.
"At least I am no liar," he spat. "At least I am always honest with my feelings and thoughts – even though I prefer to decide whether I want to share them with others or not!"
The attack was unexpected and the shame she felt for reading his personal notes burned her, but Maiid pushed the feeling away as she focused on what he had said.
"Do not try that bullshit again! I am no liar and you of all people should know that!"
Altaïr shook his head angrily and let go of her robes.
"I have had enough of your lies already and I have had enough of this," he hissed and Maiid realized that he really meant it.
"You are nothing but a filthy, lying girl who enjoys playing innocent when it pleases her. You said you cared for me and that you could understand me, when I could barely understand myself. I believed you, but now I realize how fooled I have been…"
He grabbed his head and sighed. His words hurt her and Maiid tried to swallow, but felt that a lump was in the way. What is he thinking? I have never lied to him, so why does he not trust me…?
Hot tears made their way to her eyes, and she reached out to wipe them away when Altaïr suddenly slammed his fist into the wooden desk.
"But after today I guess nothing could prove otherwise. Not with what I know now… I should have guessed it earlier, but you distracted me with your lies…"
"I have not…" Maiid began, but the look the assassin gave her made her voice crack.
"Adin is the warlord," he whispered.
The revealing fact caused Maiid to twitch.
"And you call me a liar…" she choked and grabbed the chair to prevent her from falling.
Altaïr didn't meet her gaze.
"After all you have told me about him, there is no doubt about who he is – especially not after today! Do you not realize? He knows that you are with us! It is because of you that he wants a war with the assassins. It is because of you that he wants to kill every one of my brothers. It is because of you that I cannot breathe…"
Maiid stared at him in doubt and fear.
"No! He would never do such a thing! Stop making things up!" she shrieked. She lounged at him with raised fists, but the agile man only grabbed her wrists and threw her to the ground.
"Betrayer…" he hissed and walked over to her. "You knew this all along! That is why you never really tried to escape from us. You wanted him to wipe us out because one of us killed your father. Is it not so?!"
Altaïr grabbed her throat and unsheathed his hidden blade, but stopped when he heard the soft sobs. Tears flowed down the woman's cheeks and her face was turned into a pained grimace.
The assassin paused and could only stare into her brown eyes, for a moment unable to break loose. Then he jumped off her with a snarl and walked out of the Bureau.
When Malik returned in the late night, he was greeted by the destruction of his Bureau and a furious Altaïr who was just about to wreck the bookshelf behind the wooden desk. Malik, who had spent countless of hours sorting every parchment and map in that shelf, tackled his brother hard to stop him from destroying many hours of hard work.
"Have you completely lost your mind, Altaïr? What are you doing?!"
The younger assassin roared at the sight of Malik and leaped towards him, but his brother was prepared for that action and crouched while delivering a kick in Altaïr's ribs. The assassin fell to the ground, struggling to get his air back as Malik leaned over him with a deep frown.
"I am still your superior – no matter if I lack the rank or an arm," he warned the younger assassin. "You must have a good reason for creating all this mess in my Bureau. Speak now and I shall forget about this for our friendship's sake…"
"Deceiver!" Altaïr hissed as soon as he could speak again. "You only forgave me again so that you could get close to that excuse for a female!"
Malik kicked the assassin on the floor again.
"Watch your tongue, Altaïr. I forgave you because you have changed. Or so I thought, but right now you are threatening me to believe otherwise. Where is Shadiyah?"
Altaïr coughed and slowly got to his feet.
"You of all people should know that, brother!" he spat and Malik's eyes narrowed.
"Do not tell me that you heard…?" he began but didn't need to finish the sentence because the look on Altaïr's face told him the answer already.
"But did you not hear what she said?"
The younger assassin watched the Bureau leader with suspicious eyes.
"No, I did not. I thought her answer was obvious. Why?"
"She said no, Altaïr."
When Malik saw no visible reaction he hurried to continue.
"She told me that we should only be friends, because she had feelings for someone else. For you."
Altaïr took a step closer, still not believing his brother.
"Why, Malik? I never did anything to deserve this. Why have you turned on me now?"
The Bureau leader took a deep breath and fixed his eyes into Altaïr's.
"You have known me since childhood. We were best friends and did everything together. Lately we have not shared much good times, but you have changed to the better and I forgave you for your earlier mistakes. Because of me being older and stronger, I always felt like an older brother that sometimes took care of you. Right know though, I think that you know me better than I know you – and you know that I never lie to you."
The speech had its effect. Altaïr stared at his brother with confusion and fear. This worried Malik.
"Now tell me. Where is Shadiyah?"
The Rafiq suddenly spotted the bloody robes and along with the crazy look on Altaïr's face, it turned his brother into somewhat of a madman.
"I do not know…" he whispered. "When I returned, she was gone."
"What happened?" Malik asked and grabbed the hood of Altaïr so that he could look him in the eyes.
"We…had a quarrel. She said that it was my entire fault that she had chosen you instead of me…"
Malik couldn't believe what he heard, but he didn't interrupt the broken man.
"I told her of what I had found out during my mission – that the warlord is no one other than Adin…"
"Adham is her childhood friend Adin? How horrible," Malik said and shook his head.
"She did not believe me and when I came back she was gone…" Altaïr continued as if he hadn't heard his brother. He stared down on the floor and this concerned Malik. He followed the younger assassins gaze and spotted a parchment on the ground. A parchment with his name written on it. Malik frowned and picked it up.
Dearest Malik,
I believe that Altaïr has failed the mission and that the fact has driven him insane. He even accused me for being the cause of it and he said that the warlord was my Adin. I cannot believe such a lie and therefore I leave you and will travel to Damascus myself to find out the truth. If I can take my father's place as the head guard, I might even find the real warlord and put an end to this.
I do not think I will return, but from what I have heard it will not be such a great loss for everyone. Forgive me my rudeness of leaving the Bureau when you asked me to guard it.
Safety and Peace, my friend.
- Maiid al Wardah
Malik dropped the letter in surprise and it fell close to Altaïr. He slowly picked it up.
"No…" he whispered. Malik walked closer to his friend and gently put his hand on the younger man's shoulder.
"She believed that you had failed the assassination – not the relationship…" he said as Altaïr finished reading the parchment. He held it so tight that paper slowly ripped apart at his fingers.
"But you did succeed, did you not?"
Altaïr dropped the letter and pulled out a stained feather from his sash.
"I went for the target after I overheard your conversation," he said monotony. "I was so furious that I could not stop killing for quite a while. I…" he looked down upon his soaked robes and started to breathe fast.
"I thought she said that I was not good enough and I thought that she had lied to me all this time…" he grabbed his head with both of his hands.
"What have I done…?!"
Malik shook him gently.
"There is still time! The first thing we do tomorrow is to travel to Masyaf and report, and then we go after her to Damascus. She cannot be far away if she left tonight."
At his words Altaïr opened his eyes.
"We do not have time to go to Masyaf, Malik. We must find her right now before she realizes that it truly is Adin that threat us. By Allah's name, why did I chase her away?!"
"Easy, brother," Malik comforted. "Maybe it is for the best that Shadi-, I mean Maiid returns to those who she belongs with. And will not Adham ease up then, if she is the reason for this war?"
Altaïr gazed at his friend with grave eyes.
"She belongs with us," he said and Malik smiled half a smile. "And something tells me that his madness will not end so easily."