Cearbhail: This took me forever. I had no idea how to follow what happened in the next chapter, but I finally got this posted. I've been so busy with college and kendo, and green dragons, fencing...just too much. Not enough time to sit down and enjoy this. Anyway, it's up and it's good, i think. Enjoy.

[Malik Ishtar]

Dear journal,

I have done as I had promised: I blew up the smelter in the courtyard. I also blew up half of the castle. That powder Red keeps around is very dangerous I found out. I shouldn't have used as much as I did. It blasted me of the roof. That's where it gets interesting, because I met the famous Mother Goose. She's a little girl, in fact. I never imagined the fabled witch would be a little girl, but I'm not one to judge. Everything is permitted, I am always reminded. I met her when she saved my life after I was blasted off the roof by the explosion I had created. She grabbed me by the ear and started pulling me through the streets, telling me just how stupid I was and how I had messed up years of planning. Apparently it's so bad here that she had to come just to make sure I don't screw up even worse. She wouldn't care if I wasn't associated with her fellow witches, but since I am, she is staying around to keep them safe.

After she grilled me out for causing the deaths of her coven members, she rolled out a tent and started helping out around the camp. I have left with Locksley to run recon on the town. I'm sure the acts of yesterday, the day I blew up the courtyard, will cause some negative reactions among the King and civilians. So, I'm out to see exactly what I've caused this time. My sister is doing her own thing in the town today with Red. And since I'm sure my robes will cause a stir, I've ditched them for a giant trench coat.

Malik Ishtar...

…

Walking along the street gave me a better sense of what it felt like to be among the citizens. The marketplace was surprisingly busy today, regardless of the fact that I caused a massive palace to explode. As I left the town yesterday, I could see the remains of all the iron raining down on the village. I thought I would have saved their pots and pans, but those pots and pans turned to shrapnel that rained from the sky down onto the village itself. Knights were running around in circles, searching for wounded. I wish I could have thought of a different plan for destroying the smelter, but I did what I thought was my only option. It was a harsh lesson to learn, but I cannot forget that I'm only starting on my Assassin path. I'm not as wise as some of the more veteran members, and I'm still getting used to this new layout. Nottingham seems so different from Masyaf.

I looked down at my unusual brown clothes. The coat that was given to me was leather and it draped down past my knees, so it felt more like my robes. I did not like not having a hood, but the hat I was given felt nice too. At least I blended in better, even though I'm still a few shades darker than everyone else around me. And even though I stuck out, no one seemed bothered by me. Sure, I got some weird stares, but that was quickly out-shadowed by the knights running through the streets.

As a group of knights passed through the streets, I stepped off to the side. It seemed to be what everyone did, so I did as they did. The knights passed by, a few of them giving me a glance before proceeding on. One of the knights near the end of the formation came to a stop to look at me. He started walking up to me, his fellow knights stopping as well. They turned to watch as this knight walked up to me, their faces etched in both suspicion and curiosity.

"Harold, what's wrong?" The knight from the front of the formation asked as he reached for his weapon. "We have orders."

Harold looked at me and then back to his leader. "Sir, this man. Isn't he a Muslim?"

The man looked at me, narrowing his eyes. "We do have Middle Easterns living in town, Harold. We cannot just go around and harass the locals, unless we have orders to." He waved Harold to follow him and turned around. "Now, come. We need to help with the reconstruction of the port town."

Harold nodded an apology before turning around. It was a good thing I didn't bring any weapons with me. I purposely left all my weapons, hidden and exposed, back at the camp. At least that way, if I was stopped on the streets and searched, I could claim to be a traveler on a pilgrimage. Those were common these days, I hear.

I looked around at the faces of the citizens. They looked fearful of what might happen to them. That was why there were so many of them in the marketplace today. Shopping was a good way to keep your mind off of the things happening around the town. And all of it was my fault. I couldn't allow stuff like this to happen anymore. If I was going to cause trouble for King John, I'd have to be more subtle about it for now on. Speaking of which, I had to see what he was up to.

I backed out of the streets and into an alleyway. I melted into the shadows, where no one seemed to notice me. "So, what's next?" Locksley's voice called from the rooftop. I looked up to see Locksley staring down at me.

"I'm going to see what King John is up to. Know any ways get inside the castle without being seen or heard?" That was the plan, anyway. Get in, hide, and listen. The first infiltration mission of my life.

Locksley nodded to me. "Actually, yeah, I do. Remember all that hay I took from King John? I got it from his dungeon, which is under the castle. King John is very paranoid, so he has secret passages everywhere in his castle. He never uses them, however. So, I'll lead you to one of the exits and let you explore around. Just stay within the walls and you won't have to worry about the rest."

Locksley hopped across the rooftop, leaving me to catch up. So, I started running up the wall, catching onto the ledge of a window. I started to pull myself up, but I found myself staring in through the window. A woman sat on the other side, brushing her blond hair in a mirror that faced me. She saw me through her mirror and her face broke. She snapped around, throwing herself into the wall. "Thief!"

"What? No, I'm not a thief…I'm an Assassin." I responded. She started crying and curling into a ball, pushing herself closer to the wall. I rolled my eyes and continued climbing up the window, grabbing on a board of wood that was sticking out of the house. I found a good foothold on something else and began scaling the side of her house. I grabbed onto the next window's ledge and pulled myself up.

As my head poked over the edge of the window, the same woman from earlier was leaning near the window, staring down at me. The window was closed so I guess she felt safer. "So, you're not here to rob or kill me?"

I shook my head. "Nope, just passing by. I'm heading up to the roof."

"Ah…" She responded. "Why?"

"Quicker than the streets." I said to her pushing my way up. I had another floor to pass before I'd get to the roof. I started getting the hang of using the boards of wood as climbing instruments. As I passed the third window, I could feel my fingers stinging from all the splinters I had gathered. Too bad I wasn't wearing climbing gloves, like I usually am. And this coat was horrible. It felt so heavy and pinched my arms.

This time the window was open. The blond girl waited for me again. "So, you're an Assassin? Why are you here? I thought your kind were in the Middle East. Or…are you a different type of assassin?"

"Nope, the kind from Syria." I responded. "And I'm here so that I can help this town."

She smiled. "Oh, thanks." She leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. "Feel free to climb up my window more often."

I paused for a second. What just happened? I looked back at the woman. She was still staring at me, smiling. She liked me? It took a whole three windows for her to like me? That was odd, but whatever. I reached my hand in and said, "I'm Malik."

She took my hand and said, "Marian." Marian, huh? That was a nice name. It was now that I got a good look at her. She had beautiful blue eyes, long curly blond hair. I wonder why I didn't notice it earlier. I guess clinging to the wall took a lot of attention away from noticing features.

So, I nodded to her and started pulling myself up. "I'll come back later."

When I reached up and grabbed onto the roof, Locksley reached down and grabbed onto my arm. He helped pull me up, almost laughing at me as he did so. "So, met Marian, huh?" He nodded, slapping me on my shoulder. "Good luck."

"Why?" I asked. Was there something wrong with her?

He pointed to himself and said, "Because I'm the one she'll end up with." He winked at me and started heading down the roof. "Still, I'll let her decide." He started walking away. Even though I was unsure what he meant by that, I was sure that he was stating that he would become the rival to Marian. I wasn't that interested, not really. I mean, I'm still thinking about that herbalist back in Masyaf. Hopefully, she'll be waiting for me when I get back.

"You can have her." I replied to Locksley as I caught up to him.

He paused and looked back at me. "That's not my decision to make. It's hers." Then he turned around and looked down at the ground. "There are several exits throughout the town, but only one outside of the town, and I'm not sure where that one is yet." He pointed down to the cellar, saying, "The exit I use all the time is right in this basement. A knight lives here so it's the most secure spot of all. But, he's not here at the moment; he's at the port, helping rebuild." He looked back at me. "Just follow me." He jumped off the roof, falling for a bit before landing stealthily in the backyard.

I slowly eased my way down, jumping. My foot caught on something and I tumbled off to the side. I closed my eyes and held my breath. Hopefully I land on something soft. I felt something spongy and scratchy catch me. I suddenly came to a stop and I let the fact that my body wasn't broken tell me that I was still alive. I opened my eyes to see that I was lying on a fresh patch of hay.

"What is with you and landing in hay?" Locksley said as he walked up to me. "Do you always land in hay?"

I smiled to him as he helped pull me out of the cart. "You do remember the cart of clothes I landed on, remember?"

Locksley frowned at remembering that. He punched me in the arm, saying, "I'll get you for that, one day." He crossed his arms. "You're lucky I want your help in messing with King John." He shook his head as he walked to the cellar door. "Anyway, down here there is a door hidden behind a keg stand. All we have to do is pull on the candlestick and the keg stand will slide out."

…

The slide through the hidden passage was easy once I changed back into my actual robes. These passageways were thick enough that I could easily glide through without making any sound at all. I guess the King had a good sense of priority when it came to secret tunnels. There were small holes in the ceiling and walls, giving me light to see where I was.

I started hearing sounds and I came to a sudden halt. It sounded like two people were chatting to my right. So, I snuck forward, looking out through one of the very small holes. I could see two people standing over a giant cauldron.

"So, the King is always asking me to tell him your 'special' spice. Should I tell him that you piss in his soup?" One man said with a smile, biting off a laugh as he did so.

The older man smirked at the comment, stirring the cauldron with his giant wooden spoon. "Aw, why ruin the secret?" He said sourly. "Besides, when you work for that man for as long as I have…you'll piss in his food too."

"He's only been in charge for a year." The other cook said.

"Yeah, and it only took two days until I added my special sauce." The older man replied. "Speaking of which, I think it's time I add the sauce now. If you want a taste, I'd do it now."

I held a laugh as I started moving on. There wasn't more I'd get from that conversation. But, I did learn something. Never eat the food here. I continued to glide through the castle walls, peaking out the holes to see what I could see. Knights stood at attention around every other corner; maids ran around, cleaning everything. It was good to see that this place was still as normal as possible. But, since I didn't see anyone worth watching, I continued walking through the walls.

"and then we'll start reconstruction on the wall." I heard a voice speaking.

"With what materials? We have no iron we can use. That also applies to the port. Where is this iron going to come from? Our smelter was destroyed yesterday, and if you think that you can get someone else to man another smelter after yesterday's explosion…I don't know exactly what you're thinking." A richer accent spouted rather quickly in reply.

"I have sent a request for delivery to York. The materials will be here in two days' time. Continue to send reinforcements to the harbor to clean up the bodies and prepare the port to be rebuilt. Scavenge the remains of Duke Wolfe's ship and use it to rebuild the harbor if you must. When that is done, we must tend to cleaning up the hole in the wall from where the tower exploded."

I started peeking through one of the holes in the wall. It was the one of the hallways. I could see a man with a golden crown on his head stepping in front of a knight. He strode slowly, his hands folded behind his back. The knight kept pace with him, slight worry etched on his face.

"I understand, milord." The knight said. "What about the courtyard, shall I send some knights to clean it up?"

The King turned to face him, smirking smartly at him. "You want the royal families to clean up the courtyard? I have maids for that. I need my royal knights out doing what they do best, protecting my kingdom. In fact, after the harbor and wall are fixed, I want some knights to secure our mine and get it ready for more mining. The minors will soon be without food on their tables and we need the iron." He paused, thinking about something. "This is too important to come last on the list. Dispatch a few squads of knights to the mines. See if we can't get those minors working by tomorrow. Can you do that, Sheriff Brewer?"

Sheriff Brewer nodded to the King, kneeling before saying, "Yes, milord. I'll see to it at once." He turned around and began to run away to see to his errands.

The King scowled before mumbling, "Yeah, you better." He turned around and started walking away. "Half my town gets blown up, I almost get assassinated in the courtyard, the witches have started revolting, and now my sheriff is incompetent." He paused to look in my direction. I stopped in my tracks, holding my breath. The King slowly stepped up to me, looking me in the eye. Holy shab! I'd been found out. He knew I was here. I reached for my sword, but remembered that I left them at home. I didn't even have my dagger. What was I going to do?

The King paused not too far from me, nodding. "If only you could tell me what I should do." He looked right at me. "Father." He looked away from me, looking lost in thought.

"Your Majesty." I heard Wolfe's voice scream as his heavy boots slammed against the tiled floor.

The King turned around to watch the fatter man come running through the halls to get to him. "Ah, Duke Wolfe. May the Father of Understanding guide you."

Duke Wolfe nodded to him. "And to you as well." He looked around to make sure no one was watching. "Are we alone?"

The King nodded. "The knights are present, yes, but we are alone. Come, walk with me. We have much to discuss."

"Aye, we do." Wolfe responded. The two of them started walking down the halls, and I started walking to keep up with them. I didn't know for how long I could follow them before the secret passageway came to a stop. It hadn't so far.

"Have you found the holy lance?" The King asked.

"The one found by that Bartholomew fellow?" Wolfe asked. "Yes, Piper found it. He's on his way with it now."

The holy lance? What holy lance were they talking about? The King nodded, turning to face Wolfe. "Great, that is one step out of three done. What about the cross? Have we found the cross?"

Wolfe shook his head. "No, but we're chasing rumors of a cross that has healing powers in Spain. Shall we send some knights to go fetch it?"

The King shook his head. "It might be too risky. Ask our brothers to bring it to me. De Sable is looking for the third piece as we speak. He found it in Masyaf, but had to retreat before he was killed. Now, he's going to try taking out the Assassins before they figure out what it is that they have. They have no idea just what all three items can do if they were ever connected."

I continued to follow them, but I felt the wall crash into me. I stopped just in time so that I didn't make any sounds. So, I watched as the King and Wolfe continued walking away. Luckily, Wolfe asked the question I was interested in more than anything. "So, what are we going to do about the Assassin and the witches?"

The King looked back at him. "The witches have been dealt with. If they act up, I will purge them again. As for the Assassin…I hear he's an idiot, but he's an idiot that's destroyed half my town. If you find him…kill him."

I sighed my relief. Good, the witches were in the clear for now. I was as good as dead, but only if I was ever caught. Good, I need some practice. Might as well leave, I got what I came here for.

Cearbhail: I can't wait till the next chapter. It usually gets good once I get a stride going on. Yes, Wolfe and King John are both templars. Who would have guessed? I wonder who else in this series is a templar. I can only imagine...when that day comes.