After a night spent awake and vigilant, Altair didn't feel particularly ready to have a meeting with Margaret.
The noblewoman didn't want to waste time and had immediately requested to meet the assassins who had been closer to the area of interest. It seemed the King, last seen after the truce with Saladin, had to return to his camp and organize the trip back home but he never arrived, not even the knights escorting him had been sighted.

"I don't think he's involved, but Saladin is the last person we're sure uncle Richard met. However, no one is eager to go and ask him personally for information" she said, sitting in the chair opposite Altair's in the private study of the Mentor.

"Without doubt he wouldn't be very informed on the King's movements, to avoid an ambush on the way back. Our scouts reported of a couple of knights with Templar cross near Damascus, one of them was clearly foreigner and similar to the description but they didn't get closer to avoid a fight" Malik commented, "It seems one of them had reddish-brown hair and a very imposing figure, probably injured judging by his clumsy walk"

"How much time have they spent sitting on such information, Malik?" Altair asked calmly.

"At least five months. They knew of the King's disappearance but no one connected the pieces before, there are many foreigners in these lands lately and it's becoming very common to see a man with pale skin and Christian insignia on the vest"

"Just a coincidence then. Do you have someone in Damascus? We know he was there, but I can't be sure he went inside the city" Margaret replied, "With an injury, he could still be there"

"You underestimate his temper. In a place like this, you can survive only by showing off strength and persistence, even the slightest weakness is enough to get yourself killed. Especially with a target stamped on your chest" Altair reminded her, "King Richard is strong and resourceful, he chose to masquerade himself instead of using his name to find support. We'll contact the Rafiq there and ask him for a report"

Margaret knew there was nothing else they could do until then, but it was discouraging to stand there and wait. Especially when she had other things to worry about, such as the engagement she was running from and the presence of her former kidnapper in front of her.

When they parted before, she had been happy to see her uncle once again and return to her boring but reassuring old life, even if sometimes Margaret still expected to see Altair jumping out of nowhere. A part of her wondered how a stranger could have such an effect on her, taking into account how rude and cocky he had been the first time they met, and yet he stayed in her mind for a while.

The noblewoman had often wondered if he was used to saving ladies in their gardens, only to leave them aside with a flourish of white vests and disappear.

"Maybe you can show her around the castle, Mentor. A good way to pass time until Rafiq sends his reply" Malik offered with a smirk.

Altair sent him a venomous glare at the suggestion but relented when the woman agreed. If the other assassin aimed to embarrass him, everything was going in the right direction.
He offered his arm just like he had watched nobles do in presence of a lady and sighed in relief when she accepted, her slim hand touching the leather of his vambrace.

"Let me show you the gardens. Soon, the courtyard will be too hot and full of novices, not the ideal place to bring a lady"

Margaret wanted to argue but decided to let it go, in truth a bit curious about the assassins and their routine. Watching Altair, she wondered if all the assassins were fit like him, something that embarrassed her deeply and yet led Margaret to imagine how strong he was.

Thoughts unbecoming of an unmarried lady and she counted herself lucky no one would ever know them.

The pair ignored Malik's smug smirk and left the stuffy office, finally breathing in the warm air of the morning. The castle was still waking up and not many of its occupants were lurking around in the corridors, but Altair found it reassuring. The last thing he needed was someone snooping in his affairs in front of the lady he secretly fancied.

What surprised her and horrified the assassin was the presence of another kind of resident in the gardens, a group of people Altair wanted to avoid as much as he could in front of Margaret. The courtesans of the castle were already out and about, waiting for their favorites to pay a visit.

It was something he had hoped to keep hidden as much as possible from Margaret's eyes, mainly to erase from his mind the memory of the times he had used the courtesans' company to forget Margaret before they met.

"I..."

"You have nothing to worry about. It's normal to seek some relief for nobles, I guess it's the same for assassins too" she stopped him.

"No. It's one of those things I couldn't get rid of without kicking those women out on the streets" he tried to protest.

"Don't fret so much, it's alright" she reassured him with a thin smile, "I have no say in what you men like to do in your free time"

Altair wanted to argue about that and explain he had had no recent encounter with any of them, not to mention the wish to express her thoughts clearly without the politeness that upset him so much.

The rest of their walk passed in complete silence, much to Altair's disappointment as he wanted nothing more than clear up the misunderstanding.
It was stupid because they weren't courting and yet he wished for her to crack up and show some interest, something that lacked at that moment. It was as if there was no problem at all for her, nothing wrong with the hypothesis that maybe Altair had had another company in the years spent apart.

Malik was wrong.
The Mentor was so invested in his feelings that he was rapidly losing sight of Margaret's true reason for her visit. She wasn't there for him and maybe she would never seek him on other occasions. It was hard to stomach that fact, but he had to do it.

-.-

The assassin left the lady to her own devices before lunch and she retired to her bedroom, wary of the glances the other men sent to her.
Margaret was a beautiful lady, very different from the looks they appreciated in the courtesans but still enticing. She guessed it would eventually wear off and they would leave her alone... hopefully.

However, the thought of what she had seen in the garden upset her.
The lady knew she had no right to feel like that, being promised to another and not even knowing Altair well, but the doubt had already been planted in her mind and she felt a tinge of disappointment at the presence of courtesans in the castle.

He was a good-looking man, judging from the face glimpsed under the white hood, and it wasn't surprising to know he had had his own experiences. How could she demand something from a man she had treated badly two years before and was currently using to find her uncle?
Granted, her intentions weren't bad, but Margaret felt guilty.
And now she was forced to live in the castle with those women loitering around him and bear with it for who knows how much time. Hopefully, the scouts would find traces of Uncle Richard soon and then everyone would go back to their normal lives.