Altair knew it was wrong, but he couldn't help indulging in the secret pleasure of watching a certain woman from afar.
King Richard's niece was reading in the private garden of his palace and hadn't noticed the hooded man on the roof in front of her. The assassin was still completing Al Mualim's assignments when he casually happened by chance in the most secluded corner of the royal palace and his eyes fell on the lone feminine figure sat on a bench with a book in hand.
Guards were still loitering around the place and on the roofs to protect her, but the young woman was too absorbed or simply too used to being constantly kept under strict surveillance by her uncle's forces. She had red hair, just like Richard, and her nose covered by a thick rain of freckles that made her look extremely young and innocent to the eyes of the hardhearted assassin.
From that day every time he went to Jerusalem, Altair spent some of his free time observing her and trying to understand why he always felt such a pull to that place and to her when they never had had the occasion to speak.
However that morning there was something different.
The lady was a bit more nervous than usual and the guards more fidgety, not to mention the difficulty to reach the highest and most secluded spot due to the array of archers on the roofs.
Apparently it was a day like others, the sun up in the sky and the hot weather was a bit stifling to him, but it didn't stop Altair from admiring the feminine shape watching around with suspicion. For a second, when her eyes roamed around the courtyard, Altair felt a shiver running up his spine as she watched in his direction and almost thought she had spotted him when she screamed.
A knife cut the hair and stuck in the bench, just beside her head.
The noblewoman screamed, panicking when a group of bandits attacked the King's guard, clearly after a large sum of gold as ransom for Richard's niece.
Altair, seeing the soldiers falling one after another, climbed down the balcony silently and managed to skirt around the fight in order at least to save her.
Margaret of Blois knew it wasn't dignified to cry in the face of death, as her uncle many times had reminded her, but at the young age of twenty and a very strict and sheltered upbringing she really had no wish to appear poised when a bandit came close to her. It was right in that moment that she saw a white hooded figure descending on her aggressor and killing him on the spot, barely emitting a sound.
The young woman gasped when Altair grabbed her arm and dragged her away from the courtyard where her guards were still fighting off the bandits.
The assassin managed to lead her out of the palace and right in the middle of the richly dressed nobles of Jerusalem that crowded the streets. Margaret felt his hands fastening a veil on her head full of red curls to protect her from undesired stares and barely had time to protest when Altair sped up.
The riot was beginning to spread everywhere, people screaming in panic as the poorer district forced its way past the guards and attacked anyone in sight.
Margaret cried when someone pushed past her, ripping off the golden chain at her neck before running away.
"Leave it, better a necklace than your head on a pike" Altair coldly scolded her when she tried to go after the thief.
Only after Altair was sure no one had followed them he left the aching arm of the lady, making her stumble and bump in his back.
After hiding her in the closest empty alley he managed to find, Altair wondered where he could take her since he couldn't really expose the assassin's hideout in front of a stranger. But every moment they spent in the open was a risk and he had to take a decision swiftly.
As they went through the streets and avoided the guards, Margaret thought she had been lucky someone was there at the right time to save her … too lucky. And it was suspicious how fast the man in front of her acted considering the situation and the amount of people that crowded the palace and the streets.
Who was her mysterious savior?
Finally, Altair managed to find an abandoned small house in the outskirts of Jerusalem and pushed Margaret inside.
"Stay here" he ordered, "I'll return soon"
"Wait! You can't leave me here!" she exclaimed, running after Altair as he left the premises, "Where are you going?!"
The assassin ignored her, hoping that Malik would give her a place to hide while he went after Robert de Sablé and informed her uncle of the danger she was in. The man masquerading as Robert had told him they were both on the battlefield, but before being killed by Altair warned the assassin of the presence of someone else there, linked to the red haired beauty he was so fascinated by.
The betrothal of Margaret with a nobleman was a well-known matter and King Richard's approval of the match wasn't surprising, but there was some discontent coming from other families who were refused the chance of strengthening the bond with the crown.
Altair couldn't hide a certain discomfort at the mention of the woman married off to some stranger, especially with the interest he was displaying lately for her.
Shrugging off his worries, the assassin attempted to return to his usual stoicism and schooled his features as soon as the familiar building came in sight. He knew Malik would have some choice words for his involvement with Margaret's disappearance, but for now they both had to bear with it and complete Al Mualim's request.
The rafiq was already waiting for him with a scowl behind his desk and Altair could see the confusion swirling in the other's dark eyes.
"Tell me, what possessed you to abduct a noblewoman and run from the guards assigned to protect her? Men under King Richard's orders that are currently searching for you two all over the city?"
"Robert de Sablé is not here. Send a notice to the Mentor I'm going after him. He's currently in Arsuf with the king" Altair stated, "While I'm away, keep an eye on the lady. Someone is out to kill her"
"Send her back to the castle then!"
"I'm not sure it would be safe"
"And why are you so interested in her fate? Altair, don't get involved with nobility" Malik reprimanded him.
"I don't plan to" Altair replied quickly, "Just wait for me here. I'll come back and sort out this matter as soon as I can"
The rafiq couldn't even say another word as the assassin explained where Margaret was hiding, biting back a grin when Malik glared at him venomously.
"So, you get rid of a nosy woman and I have to take your place? I know nothing about women!"
"I guessed it was the case and it makes you the perfect candidate to keep her company"
Malik figured they could go on forever and still Altair would win the debate, so resolved to go back to Margaret in his stead and drag her to some proper living quarters, or at least better than the rundown hut the other assassin found.
He was surprised to find a red haired fury waiting for him.
"Who are you? And where is your friend?! I want answers!"
"Please, milady. I assume Altair didn't give you any explanation for his actions, but I'm sure all of this is for your safety"
Margaret grimaced when the assassin offered to lead her to a more comfortable place, not to mention closer to the hideout, where he could watch over her and wait for Altair.
"I would like to go home" she requested, "I'm sure my uncle's guards will be more than worried for my absence"
"With the uproar in the streets, the palace is not the safest choice for you or your family. According to the information I gathered, the bandits were payed to kill you" Malik shrugged, "I don't know if you're aware of your position, but your safety is at risk"
As they argued back and forth, Malik could see a certain resemblance between Margaret and Altair's attitude, the same defiant light in her eyes and the sarcastic tone in her voice.
But he didn't know it would be only the beginning of his headaches.