Chapter 29
The two found the horses rather quickly for they had stopped around the corner at a patch of long grass, and were happily munching beside one another. The reins of Hana's gelding had fallen over his head and he had one leg through them, which had obviously been the reason why he had stopped (then made his way towards something to eat.) Altair's mare had obviously only wanted to go as far as her companion had.
They were currently sitting before the fire. Hana in her undershirt with Altair tending to the female's wound.
"Ouch!"
"Hold still."
She grit her teeth, trying not to release any tears, "Altair, that really hurts!"
He said nothing, merely continued to stitch up the wound she had sustained from the bolt. He had also been injured, but did you see him complaining like this? That needle he had had to sterilise in the fire was burning the skin on his fingers! Once he had finished stitching her wound, he cut the thread he had been using before grabbing a roll of gauze and some healing paste.
Again, she wondered why it was more painful to tend to a wound than to receive one and she couldn't control her urge to glare at the Master Assassin.
"Would you like to finish off yourself?" He asked in return to the look that she had given him.
"You're doing a fine job." She replied, looking away when she realised that she had been caught. "But a little less pressure would be greatly appreciated."
He couldn't help the small grin that lifted the corners of his mouth, "Then there would be no point in doing this. The wound needs to be wrapped securely to prevent any dirt from interfering with it." He tied the ends of the bandage together before sitting back on his heels and looking at his work before Hana could slip her arm back into the sleeve of her large shirt. "We will stop at the next town." He said, "We've been to this one before, twice I believe."
She nodded her head in understanding and smiled when he handed her an orange from the pack at his side. She thanked him for both the fruit and for helping her with her injury, before she peeled and ate the fruit in silence. The copper haired female could not raise her arm without causing herself pain, but it was worth it just so that she could eat the delicious orange.
"Will I be better tomorrow?"
"I doubt it." Altair scoffed, "You'd be lucky if you could move it freely after this week."
"A week?"
"You believe me to be impatient?" He chuckled, "You wished to be a Master of reading in a day, and now you wish to be completely healed by the morning?"
"My headaches only last for an hour at the most?"
"You have no concept of time in relation to how serious an injury is." He said, "In any case, you will not be doing much physical work on this mission."
"Then what will I be doing?"
"I'll have you gathering intel. Although you were lucky enough not to have injured your sword arm, it would be best if you're not put in a position where you have to fight too many men."
She was annoyed, and she began playing with the orange peel in the sand. She did not want to voice her disappointment to the Master Assassin, for she did not wish to cause an argument, but she didn't want to be shoved into the incapable section of the mission. If word got out that Altair did all of the work and she was just there to ride along, then she would be a laughing stock of the citadel and she wouldn't hear the end of it! Efled would be completely unbearable, and she would spend another night in tears seeking comfort from Rasil like an infant.
"There's no need to worry, Hana." Altair said, causing the female to look up at him questioningly. "The Rafik will not care what part you are given in the mission, as long as you try your best."
Hana wasn't worried about the Rafik though. She was now! "He won't be like Jabal, will he? I'm injured before we've even begun-"
"-When we arrive at the Bureau he will redress your wounds, I can assure you." He replied, "And he will not say anything to anyone but Al Mualim."
They stayed at the very same inn that they had on their trip into Jerusalem, Malik's maps had shown that the dirt road forked from this very town and although Hana was glad that there was a safe place to reside to and from both cities, Hana's nerves were not that much better about the situation of being trapped inside a building. She knew the innkeeper was an ally, and Altair trusted him, but she had yet to adjust herself to the situation of sleeping in a strange and secluded space when she was in her assassins' garb.
If she had been travelling on her own, then she would have chanced the dogs. But because the Master Assassin was with her, she felt safer. She knew he wouldn't leave her to fend for herself if anything were to happen (especially as she was wounded), and if anything did happen she knew he had skills that would protect both himself and her if need be.
She settled under the covers of the bed and frowned when Altair pulled out a bedroll. She hadn't seen him take it off of his horse, but she wondered why he would choose to sleep on that rather than have a night of comfort.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
He paused and looked up at her, "Going to sleep."
"I meant, with the bedroll."
"You would have me sleep on the floorboards?"
"But there is a bed."
"I wouldn't have thought you would want me to share."
"So you weren't even going to put up a fight?" She asked, "You were just going to sleep on the floor?"
He crouched down to continue laying out the thin futon, "Yes." He replied, "Despite what you may have heard, I respect women. Even when we stopped here a week ago, I was planning on taking the floor."
"I won't bite, if that's what you're worried about?"
"I don't know about that," He began with a small smirk on his face. "I've seen how you devour oranges."
She blushed a little, she really couldn't help being a pig when it came to food. "Just get in the bed, Altair. You'll make me feel bad if I step on you in the morning."
"Hana, why are so you desperate to get me into bed?" He grinned, "We've already been under one, is that not enough? Has your dream about our rendevouz on the bedroll enticed you too much?"
"Fine." She rolled onto her side to face away from the Master Assassin, and shuffle into the centre of the bed. "Be cold and uncomfortable. I don't care."
"Oh, I didn't decline your offer."
"Well, it's no longer on the table."
A/N: Two updates in one day as a way of apologising for being MIA! Please review xx
