Chapter 55
Evangeline lay awake for the majority of the night, and Altair had woken up a few times as well. But that was only to look at her as if she was the reason for his disturbance.
Because of her uneasy night, Evangeline got up as soon as the first rays of the sun shone through the balcony drapes. She sponged herself down and washed her hair before dressing in her light blue dress.
The blonde was sitting in front of the fire by the time the Master Assassin awoke. He was surprised to see her awake before him, "You did not sleep well." He stated.
She shook her head, "No." She replied, "I apologise for disturbing you."
Altair made no response, merely dressed himself for the day ahead. As soon as he was ready, he looked over at the blonde beside the fireplace and frowned, "How much have you been eating?"
She sighed, a feeling of utter hatred for herself came over her. "I'll stop." She ground out, offended that he complained when she did not eat, and then commented rudely when she did!
He left without another word, and Evangeline stood up and brushed a hand over her stomach. Her blue dress was a little tight, but she couldn't help it! She couldn't believe he had just hurt her feelings, and the blonde cried. A feeling of discomfort washing over her.
But it wasn't much longer until there was a knock on the door, and the blonde's heart skipped a beat. She quickly composed herself, and moved to answer it, coming face to face with one of the Scholars.
"I was hoping to catch Altair," He explained, handing her a scroll. "This is your father's Will, my dear."
She nodded her head gratefully towards the bald man, who bowed his own before backing away and shuffling off down the corridor. Evangeline watched him leave before closing the door and turning towards the fireplace. She sat in the armchair and debated waiting for Altair to return, but her curiosity got the better of her and she took a deep breath before breaking the wax seal.
As she read through her fathers will, she was both shocked and surprised that he had left her everything he had owned. His horse, his money, and his citadel!
She sat back in shock for a second before reading on. But what she came across, upset her to the very core.
If married before his death, everything was to belong to her husband.
Perhaps that was why he had married her and Altair? He knew he was dying, and had used Evangeline's disappearance to put his plan into action. He wanted Altair to have everything, from the very beginning Evangeline was right. She had never been the child he had wanted, Altair was.
Evangeline stormed down the stairs of the citadel, and out into the training grounds where she believed she would find her dear husband. The blonde pushed to the front of the gathered Assassins and waited with the patience of a saint for the battle to finish.
As soon as Altair was announced the victor he noticed the blonde waiting for him - and gathering unwanted attention from his fellow Assassins - to which she politely (and faithfully) ignored. Sheathing his sword, he approached her whilst trying to decipher her unreadable facial expression. But one look into her eyes, however, made him understand that she was distraught and angry.
"What is it?" He asked, coming to a halt in front of her.
Angrily, she thrust the scroll into his gut, which he caught as she released her grip on it.
"I'm leaving." She stated, turning on her heel and storming back into the citadel.
Confused by her actions, Altair glared at the whispering assassins surrounding him before unrolling the Masters Will and he was surprised to find that Al Mualim had left his daughter in charge of the Brotherhood. The blonde couldn't even tell the difference between a dagger and a throwing knife!
As he read on, however, he came to the realisation that Evangeline didn't actually own a thing.
He owned everything.
Which was why, he assumed, was the reason for her emotional state. Even Altair was smart enough to see that the Mentor treated him as more of a son than Evangeline as a daughter. Was that the reason for their marriage? So Al Mualim could leave him the Brotherhood without raising any questions?
The Master Assassin rolled up the parchment before climbing out of the sparring ring and heading inside the citadel after his wife. The first thing he did, was hand the Will over to a Scholar. Then, he made his way along the corridor and up three flights of stairs until he reached the third floor. As soon as he entered their chambers, he could sense the fury from the woman as if he were clashing swords with a foe. The blonde didn't even look at the Master Assassin as he made his way towards her, she simply continued to rummage through the clothing in her dresser.
"Stop." He ordered her.
The blonde ignored him, not even acknowledging that he had spoken with either a shake or a nod of her head. This only infuriated him more, especially when she got onto her knees and pulled a bag out from underneath the dresser.
Altair finally lost his patience, "Speak woman!" He grasped her by her upper arm, to pull her onto her feet.
"Let go!" She demanded, turning to thump him hard on the chest.
He released her as soon as her fist made contact with his pectoral, "Why cause such a scene?" He fumed. When she refused to reply, he stepped closer towards her to intimidate her into replying, "You will speak when you are spoken to!"
She placed her hands on his pectorals and pushed against his form, anger burning behind her eyes, "Do not even try to intimidate me!"
"Then answer me!" He demanded, allowing her to push him back a step.
The blonde turned away from him, and looked down at the floor. "I wish to go back to Jerusalem." She stated, her blue eyes glinting with both tears and the reflection of the burning fire before her. "I want to get away from here, at least for a while."
"I cannot allow you to go." The assassin replied calmly, "Jerusalem is dangerous. And I made a vow to your father that I would look after you." The blonde turned away from him again, her tears burning her eyes, "Even if you did go, I would not allow you take Danor with you."
They remained standing in silence for a long moment before any movement was made. And it was the woman who made the first move. Slowly, she turned to face him, her eyes meeting his, "Then I shall respect your wishes. For the promise you made to my father."
Altair nodded his head and watched as she turned towards the balcony. "I know how you feel, Evangeline." He stated, causing the blonde to stop in her tracks. "I know what it's like to lose a father, I lost mine when I was Nathaniel's age. You're wanting to blame someone for what has happened, because you're angry. But I am not the one to blame."
"I'm sorry." She stated, turning to face him. "For losing your father at a young age, and for throwing my anger towards you."
"I will stay if you wish for me to," He began. "Or I will go if you would like some space."
She wanted to be on her own for the evening, but she found that she didn't want to tell Altair that. Not straight up anyway. Instead, she remained silent and looked out towards the town from the balcony.
"Evangeline?" Altair moved towards her and placed his hands on the small of her back.
"I just want to be left alone for a while." She replied, looking up at him with watery eyes. "I'm sorry."
Altair nodded his head and took a step away from her. He turned for the Leap of Faith point, and once he had hopped onto the wooden beam, he turned back to face the blonde, "I will not be gone long, an hour at the most."
She nodded her head at his words, "Thank you."
As Altair jumped from the Leap of Faith, Evangeline turned to go back inside to sit before the fire. The Master Assassin made a move towards the town, but stopped once he reached the gates as Abbas decided to open his mouth once more.
"I saw her rejecting you on the balcony, Altair. Are you upsetting her again?" Abbas chuckled, "Who can she run to now? No longer does she have her father, and when you're the problem she may have to look for company somewhere else."
Altair grit his teeth, but he lost his temper anyhow. Many times had he warned Abbas that he would break him if his son wasn't present, and now that Danor wasn't walking beside him and the gatekeeper had continued to make his snide comments, Altair's fist connected with the man's nose.
The satisfying crack of cartilage wasn't enough for the Master Assassin. Especially when Abbas began to fight back. Knuckles grazed Altair's chin from his movements being short, and the Master Assassin deflected another blow to land one of his own right into the man's gut – making him double over from being winded.
Altair then left the gatekeeper as a few of his brothers appeared to stop the fight, and as he made his way back towards the citadel to clean up his bloodied hand, a small whimper from the side made Altair look up.
The golden eyes of his son displayed that Danor was slightly frightened, and the Master Assassin felt guilty, for he knew then that his son had seen him attacking the gatekeeper.
He continued up the steps towards the citadel, and once he was inside he beckoned Danor to come towards him. Danor obliged and once the boy was close enough, Altair knelt before him.
"I'm sorry." Altair stated, shocking himself at the words which slipped out of his mouth. He swallowed, "I didn't mean for you to see that."
As if in accepting his apology, Danor threw his arms around his fathers' neck. "Is it because he's a bad man?" The young boy asked.
Altair couldn't deny the fact that Abbas was loyal to the Creed, and a good gatekeeper. But in the sense of being lecherous towards his wife, and the simple fact that Altair didn't like the man anyway, he nodded in response, "Yes, he is a bad man. Come now, Danor, you should be in bed."
Evangeline had just washed her hair when Altair walked into their bedchambers. She was a little surprised that he was back so soon, but was glad at the same time. That short time she had spent alone had only made her think about the passing of her father, and she didn't want to do that.
She watched as Altair locked the door and donned his weaponry onto the dresser before he made his way towards her. Evangeline tilted her head backwards once he had stopped before her and reached forwards, but he only ran his hand gently across her cheek and down her neck.
"I saw a Scholar when I was making my way back," He began. "He informed me that the burning will be taking place tomorrow."
Her eyes flickered up to his, and it was then that she noticed he had taken down his hood to display his handsome face. Evangeline took the opportunity to explore his features once again with her eyes, his strong jaw line peppered with stubble, the scar upon his lips…she found herself on her tiptoes, leaning in towards him.
She restrained herself from being so easy, and instead, placed a small kiss on the corner of his mouth, before making her way towards her armchair in front of the fireplace.
A/N: Another quick update for you all :) Please review xx
