Christina... He hadn't thought of his teenage lover in a long time. Far too long. Even earlier in the day when he couldn't escape the thoughts of his past Christina never one crossed his mind. Was it because he was forgetting her, or the fact that he wanted to deny she ever died. He wondered, could he remember the feeling of her touch, the taste of her lips, the sensation of her hair falling over his face in the throws of love. Could he even remember her face? A sick feeling hit Ezio in the core of his stomach and his heart raced at the feelings. He was forgetting his love. Even the faces of his father and brothers had seemed to slip from him over time.
Ezio felt the spray of the ocean hit his face dragging him away from his dreary thoughts. Lately his thoughts had been slipping from him dragging him into deep thoughts on the past. Fleeting visions of the people of his past... People he's never seen; ghostly faces haunting him at every turn. And a man; a man cloaked in white... His fingers dug into the rope ladder leading up to the look out at the top of the mast. His other hand touched his cheek, rubbing the coarse hair that was growing into a thick beard. Ezio ran his finger tentatively across the scar on his lip. Off to the distance he could hear his brothers words at the matter. The once harmless playful words came as a ghostly whisper. As Ezio thought he wondered, could he even remember his own face? Ezio looked down watching as the waves crashed harshly into the hull of the ship. Turning Ezio looked at the young woman; back pressed against the mast eyes closed in a restful state. Her long hair blowing in the breeze freely. Taking a step forward the deck creaked beneath him and her eyes shot open. With long strides Ezio walked over, her eyes following him and the restful look on her face distorted into something between anger or hatred. Ezio hadn't the slightest clue. Meryem looked him over before speaking. "What have you come back to insult me some more?"
"No in fact I came to apologize but if you wish for me to take my leave I shall." Ezio said with a smirk his arms crossing in front of his form.
"Like you'll let me leave that easy." Meryem's eyes rolled as she stood up straighter. Ezio however chuckled.
"Well with the price I assume is on your head you're safer with me."
"Safer? I can handle myself! I have handled myself for my ent- MPHHF!" Ezio clasped his hand over her mouth as she began to shout, her arms raised to hit him and he simply extended his arm out more so she could not reach him.
"Yes yes, you've handled yourself, got yourself out of trouble. You are completely independent which is why I had to save you." He smiled and the woman stopped her struggling her eyes boiling over with anger. Then her eyes lightened into a devilish look and Ezio could feel her lips curve into a smile under his palm. That was until something warm and wet hit his palm. Ripping his hand away in disgust he wiped the hand on his pants. He couldn't believe she had just licked him. Meanwhile Meryem was gagging spitting at the deck in disgust.
"When was the last time you washed yourself!" She shouted before spitting again. Ezio smirked at her own disgust.
"Most likely when you were in diapers." He retorted wittily. The woman snarled at his remark and thumped herself against the mast. Ezio smirked disbelieving that she had actually licked him.
"I am not that young you know." She protested crossing her arms.
"I've been killing Templars since you've been able to talk." Ezio replied before reaching out and messing up her hair. Mereym frowned and grasped his hand clenching tightly before throwing it from her head. Crossing her arms the woman began to walk away over near the rest of the sailors lounging about. He watched her walk away and slowly watched the anger slip from her. She was defiantly a feisty one. Ezio's attention was caught by a sailor saying that a ship was no place for a woman. Meryem glared at the man before reaching out her leg and kicking his out from under him. After he toppled to the hard deck the other sailors began to laugh but the one on the ground was not nearly as happy. Standing up be began to curse in Arabic the woman went to lunge at him but Ezio swooped in and grasped her tightly. Pinning her arms to her side rendering her immobile he hoisted her up and over his shoulder with a smirk. "I think it is high time you take your leave Meryem." The woman naturally being as stubborn and strong willed as she was struggled. Moving about she screamed and shouted before her hands began to pound against him. Once she figured that wasn't going to work she hooked her fingers inside his cheeks and pulled, Ezio however countered this by nipping at her finger enough as a warning for her to remove them. Ezio walked across the deck to the provisions cabin all while maintaining to control the woman on his shoulder. After opening the door he tossed her in as she landed on the floor. Ezio smirked and leaned in the doorway. "I may be old but I can still handle a woman like you." The woman snarled at him before speaking.
"Do you always treat your prisoners like this?" Groaned Meryem.
"Not at all." And with that the man walked inside the cabin and grasped some grapes being brought back from Italy and walked away. Meryem came out as soon as the doorway opened up and shut the provisions door. She felt her lip stinging again and a trickle of blood ran down her lips to her chin and dropped onto the deck. Meryem hissed at the wound and touched it gingerly.
Ezio had kept walking over to the starboard side of the vessel leaning over the dark wooden railings and gazing as the final orange pink and red shades glimmered on the water. Soon to be taken over by the much dimmer stars and moon. They would be in Constantinople tomorrow. He and Meryem would go to the assassins hide out; he would fix the situation with Meryem and then be on his way. Towards his real mission; finding out just what Altair laid hidden in Masyaf. Ezio breathed in the scent of the sea air before his hands reached to his shoulders and grasped his dark hood pulling it over his face. His fingers grazed over the delicate stitching in the fabric; done by seamstresses back in Roma. For a moment Ezio thought; would he ever return to Roma, or Italy in general?
Ezio felt a gentle tap on his shoulder and turned around. Meryem stood pressing the corner of the blanket to her lip. Ezio smiled. "Tsk tsk, we need to stitch that up." Sighing the woman complied and followed the man to one of the three main cabins on the ship. Once inside the room Ezio took a candle from the desk and lit a few lamps before setting the woman down on a small bed nestled in the corner of the room. The room was spacious, various decorative rugs hung from the walls, a desk with a chair, pillows of many colors were scattered across the room as well. Ezio walked over beside the bed and closed a small window before reaching into the drawer of the desk pulling out a needle and thread. After dousing the needle in some alcohol and running it under the candle Ezio blew on the needle to cool it down before walking back to the woman and holding her head up getting a better look at the laceration. "Hold still.." Ezio whispered and threaded the needle before holding it to her skin. After pushing it through the left side of her upper lip he laced it through the other side. Meryem went to clench her teeth at the pain and Ezio spoke. "No no, calm down. " He held the needle in his right hand and looked into the eyes of the woman with his dark eyes. "Grab my arm and squeeze but you have to relax." Meryem complied clenching her fingers around his left arm tightly and after a few more passes of the needle they were done. Ezio knotted the string before moving his hand away from the woman. He flashed his hidden blade and used it to cut off the remainder of the string before re-sheathing it. The man then stood and turned back towards the woman. "Since I am in charge of your well being for the current time I insist you take my cabin. I can sleep below deck for tonight." He said without giving her a chance to respond. Walking over to the door Ezio smiled and spoke. "We will make port tomorrow. Sleep well." With that he slipped from the room and back on deck making sure to close the door tightly after him.
After a while of acquiring a blanket and setting up his bed in a hammock below deck Ezio walked back over to the room and gently creaked the door open. It was dark and the woman lay sound asleep in the bed. Ezio snuck over to the desk and opened it gathering a few documents before walking over to the bed. Gently reaching for the blankets he pulled them up and over Meryems shoulder before slipping out of the room again. Coming out on deck he walked up the few stairs to reach the captains platform and wheel. Leaning against the side Ezio spoke. "What does Meryem mean in your tongue?" The first mate who had taken over for the captain turned and looked at Ezio before speaking. "The rebellious one." Ezio smirked, how fitting. Gazing up at the sky were a blanket of stars had taken over Ezio mapped out a few constellations that he knew from when he was a boy. Suddenly a star flashed across the sky and Ezio smiled. Suddenly something struck Ezio in his gut. Ezio now felt for certain he'd never see Italy again.
