The Story of a Rafiq
Chapter 29
Unfortunately for Malik, it was next to impossible to write with everything he had going on. He had to listen to reports, send assassin's in to investigate or assassinate a tyrant, watch over the novice's and their progress, take care of Darim and Sef (both of which ended up being more of an handful than he originally thought), and still had time to eat and sleep for a few hours. Everyone kept him busy, which wasn't always a bad thing, but in this case seemed to be.
He laid on his bed, the twins sword fighting over him now both nearly three and a half years old. He was too exhausted to move, and just stayed put while the two had at it. Tazim wouldn't be around for a little while, he was nearly nine years old and was friends with many of the other assassin's in his age group so he made a point to stay out of Malik's hair.
Majid walked into the room, the two boys stopping and running over to cling to the older man's leg, giggling and staring up at him happily, "Uncle Majid! We learned how to hold a sword!" Sef exclaimed, holding up his wooden blade.
"Oh my! I'm going to have to watch my back, aren't I? You two are going to outwit me and beat me in a duel soon enough," he grinned as the two boys ran over to Altair's old bed and jumped on top, resuming their fight. "Tired out, master?" he teased, sitting down next to him, the one-armed man groaning in response. "You've been busy, I'd be tired too if I was in your shoes."
"How did Altair do it?" he grumbled, moving his arm to lay over his eyes.
"Well, he didn't have three children to watch over either..." Majid stated, and looked over to the boys, "Hey boys, what do you say to going and bugging Uncle Rauf, huh?" The two twins looked to each other and cheered, running out of the room to go hunt down the assassin. This usually meant Majid had something private to talk to. "We found Maria..."
"Oh?" Malik sat up and looked to him, curiously.
"Well, what's left of her anyway. The Templars had her put to death for being a traitor. She apparently went to them in hopes to join their ranks again. They used her for a year then killed her."
"It just doesn't seem right. She would not have left the twins to join them again..."
"I thought that too... But it seems it is true..." There was a long pause of silence before Majid coughed and looked to the side, "Also... Abbas has seemed to vanish with Swami and a few other assassins. They did not tell anyone of what they were up to, or where they were going."
"I'll send word to the Rafiq's to keep an eye out for them, and if they see them to let me know."
"It's rather strange, don't you think? I know Abbas was having some conflict with the fact that Altair had left with the apple, but why would he act out to this degree? I thought surely after he stopped trying to spread those lies two years back that he had finally learned of his error."
"It's curious. But Abbas has never been able to think things clearly. Perhaps he has convinced himself and the novice's who followed him of some foolish lie and sought out to have it proven. If that's the case we may never have to worry about him again."
"Rather cold, don't you think?"
"I've reached my limit with his idiotic mind. How many years have we known him? He's never once made sense."
"I suppose you are right," the older man nodded and smiled, reaching out and picking a book from the side table, "You stopped writing again, right?"
"It's almost done... but I have not had time to write in it."
"How about I watch the boys, allow yourself some time to get it done. That way you can finally be done with it, and won't have to worry about it anymore."
"I'm not worried," Malik protested, taking the book from him and peering down at it, "But... it would be nice to have it finished."
"Then it is settled. I'll go collect them now. Hm, actually. Would it be alright if I took the boys to Jerusalem? Let them see another city for a change."
"That would be fine. You sure you can handle them?"
"I handled you and Kadar, didn't I?" he grinned, then walked out without another word.
Malik wasn't worried in the slightest about leaving Majid with the boys. Now all he had to worry about was Tazim, but even then he wasn't worried. The boy grew up much like Malik did, with the same ambitions, except he was a bit more social like his father. He was very proud of the boy, and was happy to call him his son.
He opened the book to the last page and read over it. He really was close to the end. He pulled out his quill and ink, and began once again for the first time in two years...
Malik was troubled. Nothing was making sense. Nothing at all. Why was all of this happening? He bit at his thumb as he paced the bureau before he finally made up his mind. He needed to go to the last place he knew where Robert de Sable was. He packed a bag of clothes and food before climbing up the wall and locking up behind him. He headed first to the pigeon coop, where he took a small cage and a pigeon and put it inside. He needed some way to tell his men what was going on.
"Malik, what's happening, where are you going?" one of his look outs asked as he neared the city entrance.
"I need to see something. Tell the men I will be back, also tell the first five men you see to meet me at the stables. I am headed to Solomon's Temple to check something, and might need backup" he explained, the man nodding and rushing off to do as he was told.
The Rafiq stepped out of the city, and walked to the stables to retrieve a few horses. He paid off the man and had the horses walked outside and tied to a post as he waited for the men to come. They were swifter than he though, and was pleased to see five of the men he knew were strong and loyal. They mounted their horses, Malik handing off the cage to be looked after by one of the men, and set off immediately. They had no time to waste. If they found anything, anything at all that backed up any of what Altair had said then they were going to set off to Masyaf and help him...
They made it to the temple in record time, not stopping for any reason (except bathroom breaks every so often). They trekked inside the catacombs carefully and were happy to see that they were completely deserted. Malik told the others to wait outside once they were sure they were alone, and ventured in, coming across the route that Kadar had last walked. This caused a jerk in his emotions making him tear up and lean against the wall for support.
Yes, he had forgiven Altair for his wrongdoings, but now he was here. He staggered down the hall till he snapped out of his mini wave of emotion and jumped across beams and heading down the hall, climbing down the ladders and landing in the same cavern that Kadar had lost his life in, and he getting the blow to his arm that caused him to lose it. Did the Templars bother to bury his brother after he escaped? He looked to the side and felt his heart drop a skeleton laid off to the side, faced down in the dirt. It had been a while since his death, could the bones be his?
Malik closed his eyes and shook his head. No. It couldn't be his brother. Just couldn't. He stepped forward and headed down a hall that lead to a room with a makeshift bed to the side. He looked around, and found a book (much like the one Altair had given him for his birthday), hidden in the withered hay pile. He opened it, and frowned, the English language written cleanly on the pages. It was a good thing he bothered to learn some for the sake of reading and research, but some of the words were foreign to him. He skimmed through the first half of the book before stopping on a page, seeing a name.
"Al...Mualim," he spoke it out loud and frowned.
We met with the master assassin Al Mualim today. Or should I say ex- assassin. The fools still think of him as their leader, however all he wishes to do is have power. What a corrupt man. Someone I can get along with. He's helping us with our search for the apple. I can only hope that we really do find it.
It was short, but said so much. He flipped the page and continued on.
Al Mualim has warned us of a meddling assassin by the name of Altair Ibn-La'Ahad. The boy thinks he knows what is going on, and suspects the master of their brotherhood of some ill practice. If only he knew the whole picture. I would very much like to rub salt in the wounds of this man when he finds out just how much the master was betraying what he believed in.
He turned the page once again.
We met with the assassin's today. Killed one, not sure of his name, and probably another (they looked to be brothers). But the one I'm more interested in was Altair. He was so stuck in his ways, it was delicious. The funny part about the whole thing was the anger in his eyes. I wonder if he will ever really know the truth?We lost a few good men because of this man. And now I wonder if Al Mualim really was on our side, or was he playing us as fools in order to get the apple? We will see.
We were assured that Al Mualim is still on our side, but unfortunately the brother of the man we killed is still alive. He lives in Jerusalem now, so he should be out of our hair mourning the loss of that pathetic excuse for a man. At any rate, we are to move on. Al Mualim has the apple in his grasp, and we can now stop searching and calmly wait our next course.
He skipped a few more pages till he reached the last page, and read over it:
Al Mualim has betrayed us. We are leaving to meet with the Richard and Salahuddin to hopefully join forces and fight against the Assassin fools. I only hope that things will go right so that we are left with little to no trouble to deal with.
And the rest of the book was blank. His heart hurt. Al Mualim was a traitor. This was all just as Altair had suspected. He put his hand to his chest as he stood, staggering out of the room, the book in his grasp as he made his way out of the Temple. Before his men could ask, Malik mounted his horse, wrote on a piece of scrap paper that they were heading to Masyaf to aid Altair, tied it to the pigeon and set it free.
"Al Mualim is a traitor to the brotherhood..." Malik whispered, the men looking at him with wide eyes, "We ride for Masyaf. We must assist Altair. We must save our people."
Upon arriving to Masyaf Malik immediately noticed there was something strange. The men dismounted their horses, and headed inside, seeing all the people, staggering about, heading in the direction of Masyaf castle.
"The light!" a man screeched next to Malik, pointing forward, his wide grin showing only madness. As they made their way up to the castle, more and more people rambled on about a light, about a master that would lead them to it. Was this the power of the apple that he had delivered to him the day of Kadar's death?
"Do you seek the light?" an assassin novice stood in their way, his hands perched on his sword at his side, causing Malik to ready his own.
"You are under a trance, please snap out of it, brother!"
"You must seek out the master's light!" the man yelled again, pulling out his blade and pointing it to Malik, "You will see it. Or you will be struck down!"
Before the man lashed out, a group of more assassins stepped forward, facing Malik and his men, their blades pointing their way. It was easy to strike them down, as if they were all lifeless dolls or puppets, and the group moved on, up the hill. He briefly wondered if Altair was here already, but his mind blanked on the question as he heard some fighting from below, and turned to look.
It was Altair, fighting what was seemingly the same men that they had just struck down moments before. He pulled out some throwing knives and shot them down, dealing non fatal blows, but enough to keep them down for a time, making Altair look up in confusion, "Altair! Up here!" he called, waving his hand to indicate he should come up and join their group.
"You picked a fine time to arrive," Altair half grinned, making Malik smile back smugly.
"So it seems."
"Guard yourself well, friend. Al Mualim has betrayed us."
"Yes. Betrayed his Templar allies as well."
"How do you know?" Altair raised a brow, looking at him curiously.
"After we spoke I returned to the ruins beneath Solomon's Temple," he paused to shiver before he continued, "Robert had kept a journal, filled its pages with revelations. What I read there broke my heart, but it also opened my eyes. You were right, Altair. All along our Master has used us! We were not meant to save the Holy Land but deliver it to him. He must be stopped!" Malik's brows furrowed in anger as he stared at the man he loved, awaiting him to agree with him.
"Be careful, Malik. What he's done to the others, he'll do to us given the chance. You must stay far from him."
That was not what Malik wanted to hear, making his frown deepen in disgust, "What would you propose? My blade arm is still strong," he swiped his arm to the side to demonstrate his claim, "and my men remain my own. It would be a mistake not to use us!"
Altair thought a moment, then pointed to the puppet-like men scattered across the land, who staggered around, fighting at will, "Distract these thralls then. Assault the fortress from behind. If you can draw their attention away from me, I might reach Al Mualim."
Malik nodded. It made sense to send in one man instead of a whole group, "I will do what you ask, Dai," he promised.
"The men we face, their minds are not their own. If you can avoid killing them..." he trailed off, looking sadly to the side.
"Yes," Malik agreed. "Though he has betrayed the tenets of the creed, it does not mean we must as well. I'll do what I can."
"It's all I ask. Safety and peace, friend," he looked hesitant, as if he wanted to embrace Malik, but did not, only started to head back up to the castle.
"Your presence here will deliver us both," Malik whispered, watching his back for a moment, then turning to his men. "You heard him. Let us split up into two groups. Famir," he gestured to a tall, broad man who held a long blade, "Take Qusay and Raja to the back of the castle and cause a disturbance there. Much like you liked to do in Jerusalem if you can. And remember, spare all those you can."
The three nodded and rushed to the side, making their way around. He turned back and faced the two remaining men, who looked about making sure they weren't going to be attacked by the controlled men, "Sadiq... Yazid," he stated their names, then looked at the men around them, "Let us do the same here. If we do well it will make things easier for Master Altair, and we can save time and lives."
Sadiq was the first to move, rushing off the edge of the cliff and landing on his feet like a cat, rushing around, and getting the men to follow him as he made his way to the entrance to the city, but made sure to keep a good pace so not to lose the interest of the men. The stragglers were left to Malik and Yazid. Yazid rushed down the hill after Sadiq, distracting the ones who were not interested, leaving Malik with the ones that were near the castle. He raced up the path and to the entry way to the place that once was his home. His eyes landed on a familiar face, Rauf who stood at the entrance like a statue. Near him stood Majid, who looked just as still, both of them looking distressed as they stared at the ground.
He dared to walk near, praying that they would not awaken and attack him. To his relief they did not, simply stayed put, only moving as they breathed. He looked to the side, raising his sword to block a blow from an assassin he did not hear, and deflected his every lash out. He dodged to the side, wrapping his arm around his neck and tightening his grip, the man struggling as he blocked his ability to breath, then soon fell limp as he passed out. He allowed him to drop, checking to make sure he was breathing again before looking upward, a glowing yellow light coming from what seemed like the garden. He only hoped that Altair was alright.
He managed to knock out four more assassins who came close to him before he headed back down to check on his men. It was then he noticed the men who were in trances mere minutes before. They stood, rubbing at their eyes as if just waking up. "Malik!" the Rafiq looked back to see Majid rushing down, waving his hand to him, "Al Mualim...he's dead. Altair killed him."
That was all that needed to be said. He took a deep breath, then whistled, his men rushing up to meet him. "Yazid, stay here and help Altair if he needs anything. When you are able to, come back home to Jerusalem."
"Malik, what about you?" Majid asked, his eyes widening in confusion.
"My place is in Jerusalem. Altair knows this."
"You can stay. We need you Malik," Majid protested.
"No... You need Altair. Rely on him, Uncle..." he looked back at the three men that joined him once again from their job behind the castle, "We ride home..." he told them. They nodded and followed him as he bowed to his uncle, and swiftly left without another word.
Yes, he could have just sent his men home without him, but he couldn't face the reality of what was happening... Not now, not yet. As he mounted his horse, he looked back up at the city, silently saying goodbye to the man he loved, and turned heading up the hill to head to Jerusalem once again...
Notes:
And there is the end of the past Malik since it ends right where we started way back in chapter 1. It's been a long while since I started the story, and it's amazing that I've finally finished that part. We still have a way to go though, we still have quite a bit of ground to cover with "present day" Mal~
I hope the chapters lately aren't too dull. I haven't been too confident about them, but then I also don't want to skip full on years and years either. I figure a few years here and there won't be too terrible, and still will show to progression of whats going on and junk.
Also on a side note... I have to search the random-est stuff when I'm researching for my stories. To find out if Kadar's body would be bones or still decaying I had to look up how long it took for a body to decay, then I also had to search (for the last chapter) when babies typically started to talk in short sentences. If someone I did not know, or did not read my stories were to look at my search history they might think I'm a bit weird xD
Thank you guys for the alerts, and reviews! They mean a lot and give me the feed back I need to continue on without fail~
Review Responses:
Rindou Kiara: Unfortunately Altair has no way of knowing what is going on with Malik, since Malik can't write back to him. As for Abbas, he's just a snake, and when here are snake-like characters there are problems sure to arise.
eliina: I understand perfectly. School can bring a lot of things to ones schedule in making it really busy. As for Maria, I can't much say yet. I'd be spoiling it if I did xD;
